Our 2006 Nurses’ examinees were had by politics

pity the 2006 nursing examinees whose future as professionals continues to hang in the balance. They are the latest victims of the populist policy of Malacañang.

The recent announcement of President Gloria Arroyo reversing her own earlier decision to uphold the Professional Regulations Commission not to direct a retake of the nurses licensure examination, is enough to make both the successful examinee and his/parents to cry in anguish and in disgust for a long time.

Sadly, it was evident from the very beginning that the President was not keenly interested in the plight of the young nursing graduates but only on how the test leakage issue could be exploited to win brownie points for herself. When the news of the leakage first broke out, the Palace made it clear that it did not want to interfere in resolving the issue. But sensing that something could be made out of it, she directed Sec. Dante Ang a week later to study the issue and submit his recommendations. And submit, he did but his recommendation was clearly not a very popular move – to make the successful examinees retake the two tests that were tainted by the leak. Even Health Sec. Francisco Duque III found the recommendation sound and supported it.

But it was not going to be popular, hence, the President decided to do what she obviously perceived to be the popular decision – to keep the status quo, no retake. Indeed, what better way to win the hearts and mind of successful examinees and their families than to give in to their demands. She was ready for the trade-off risking the future of the examinees when she set aside the serious implications of a “no-retake” as articulated by Secretaries Ang and Duque, and plainly hoped that the situation would resolve itself for the better. But to her chagrin, the situation got worse for the examinees!

Foreign hospitals (and yes, local hospital directors, too) quickly doused the hopes of the recent examinees for immediate employment. The bottomline for the young examinees was “no retake, no sure employment.” Alas, the examinees were left holding the proverbial empty bag. They were made to believe that the government would take care of completing the mopping up operations, restoring the integrity of the 2006 exams only to find out they have been left to fend for themselves.

And, realizing finally that the “me-first” populist policy raised more problems, President Arroyo again flip-flopped and justified the need for the examinees to do a retake with a straight face. Justifying her change of heart, she explained what she should have said from the very beginning if she only took the nurses plight first and her popularity last.

Now, the examinees realize they have no choice but to bite that bullet in order to have a crack at the chance of a lifetime that motivated them to earn a nurse’s diploma in the first place – to gain employment in an overseas hospital. They must do a retake but this time not without a grudging heart, feeling they have been used as pawns for the President’s sagging popularity.

While the examinees would have still understandably resented an earlier decision requiring them to do a retake, at least their plight was only the first and the last consideration and it’s something that they can only begin to appreciate after the fact.

What they did not deserve is to be used for political purposes. But we wish them well for we have confidence in what they have so far achieved for themselves.

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